Posted by Editor | Comments Off on What is CRM and How Can You Benefit from It?

What is CRM and How Can You Benefit from It?

In Singapore, well any place in the world really, a lot of businesses tend to do better than others. A lot of that comes from maintaining healthy relationships with customers. In our time today, you can do just that if you utilize technology to your advantage. To make your business last, it will be a good idea to make use of a CRM software.

What is CRM?

Customer relationship management or CRM refers to strategies or technology used by companies to manage their relationships with clients and potential customers. They can be used to improve business connections with current customers and also analyze data to manage prospects for the company.

Utilizing an application for tracking client opportunities for your Singapore company will not only help strengthen ties with existing clients, but also make it easier for your sales team to generate profit from prospects. With a CRM software, you can perform account management and sales tracking in a single database, reducing your workload and streamlining your business processes.

Benefits of CRM

Save and process information easily

Through the CRM system, you’ll be able to keep track of all the data coming from your sales department, your customer service team, your marketing team and etc. You will easily get lost in all the information if you do not have a reliable way to save and process all of these data. Having a CRM software helps you stay up-to-date with consumer contacts and info, your targets for sales, and many more.

Consequently, sales management tools are great additions to your system if you need help to manage sales people in your office that is based in Singapore. This application can contribute greatly for providing sales coaching tips as the software can show you a clear summary of your business’ operations, productivity and current status.

The ERP

An ERP software can work collectively with the CRM to increase profitability. Both allow for immediate sharing of sales management tools and other information to all departments. What makes the ERP different though, is that it focuses more to on the company rather than the customers. It can be used to share sales reports with relative ease, saving much time and energy for employees.

Flexibility

All the data and information regarding the customers is stored and delivered through the cloud. Cloud CRM basically makes Customer relationship management flexible which then results in the improved scalability of a company. In simple terms, this means that you can access the cloud anywhere and be able to check information across different platforms through the internet.

For example, you can connect to the cloud CRM through your computer and your mobile device. If you go out and forget something, you can use a mobile app of the cloud instead of going back to your computer. A customer might also talk to you in a social media site but then suddenly switch to a call or email. With the cloud, you’ll be able to switch through platforms easily.

Moreover, a good customer database software can be incorporated into an existing structure in a hassle-free manner. This means that it’s possible to configure system with existing work flow without—or at least minimal—downtime of your business in Singapore. CRM configuration does not have to cause your operation to shut down, but instead be able to adapt to your work flow seamlessly.

In summary, the CRM software is a great tool to improve your client relations while also keeping the work efficient for your staff. It helps in attracting potential customers simply because of lead management strategies and the overall quality of services you can provide for the clients.

Read More

Posted by Editor | 0 Comments

9 Questions to Ask Your Potential IT Services Provider

Your IT support team acts as the backbone of your business. You rely so much on them for all your technical and networking needs, which is why you should only work with a reliable IT services company with dedicated professionals who will work with you whenever a need arises. To ensure you got the right IT partner, here are nine important questions to ask when hiring an IT company to manage your business’ tech needs.

1. “How and when will you charge me?”

Pricing method varies from company to company, but usually comes in fixed, variable and per-incident pricing. Fixed pricing is your best option as it has unlimited support. Variable pricing, on the other hand, is based on the time it took to have your problem fixed. If you prefer this over the previous one—perhaps, due to the price difference—you can make variable pricing look like fixed-priced service by paying for a fixed amount of hours. However, the downside is that support is available only on certain hours, thus charging you with extra for services beyond the agreed time.

2. “What contract can you suggest for my company?”

There’s no reason why a company should push you to get into a long-term agreement when you look for a good IT service in Singapore as any service provider should be consistent with their quality, regardless of the length of the contract of their client. However, if you prefer longer partnership, ask what benefits you will get from signing a long-term agreement. Many service providers in Singapore offer price reduction and exclusive discounts to their long-term partners.

3. “Have you worked with the same company as mine?”

Ask if your potential provider have relevant experience in managing companies in the same market sector. Do your research to see whether they provide specialized services for your type of business. Ask to speak with one of their clients with the same size and nature of business as yours to get an idea of how they execute their job.

4. “Are maintenance and system updates included in the contract?”

The core of a good IT support is preventing issues before they actually happen. This reduces the possibility of system failures and downtime, therefore ensures constant productivity of your business. However, an IT services company isn’t just there to prevent and fix problems; they are also there to help your business adapt IT changes. A good IT partner will do regular visits to help you maximize your current IT structure and see what necessary updates should be made for better operations.

5. “Do you offer remote monitoring and management?”

Remote monitoring and management should be a core part of any IT support model you will choose. With the advent of modernized management tools, your service provider should be able to monitor all your servers and PCs, and install packages and upgrades remotely. If one server is running full, your service provider should be able to manage it from their site before the server crashes.

6. “What kind of back-up do you have in case of service failure?”

A reliable IT support company should be a total package. Along with maintenance, upgrades and fixing tech issues, your IT partner should also provide back-ups for your business’ IT system. From back-up servers down to back-up power sources, make sure that your service provider has ‘Plan B’ for your important equipment. Find out how the IT company will switch over to these back-ups in case of system or equipment failure.

7. “How will you keep up with the growth of the business?”

It’s important to know how your supplier plans to work with you for growth. See if they can provide long-term hardware needs to save on expenses down the road. As your business continues to grow, its technical needs and data solution will expand alongside it. Many business owners in Singapore forget that more staff means more demands on the storage and server requirements. When building your IT system, do so in a scalable way. If growth of the business takes off, you won’t have much time to build an efficient IT strategy due to rapid expansion.

8. “Do you have your own help desk support or do you outsource it?

A quick and reliable IT support company should have their own help desk team in the site. That way, they can train them and ensure that they can immediately address client concerns and issues. This is a vital information to ask a potential IT services company, because you need to know where the people answering your calls are located, who they are working for and if they were oriented on both your tech solutions and business operations.

9. “Will you provide reports that show important data about my services?”

Find out how the support team will show details about the services you’re paying for. If you are in an industry that requires compliance audits, reporting the state of your tech security status is mandatory. Make sure to ask a potential provider if a report will be submitted, what details will be included in the report and how often you will receive such information.

Overall, remember to take your time when choosing an IT services provider in Singapore. Choosing an IT company to be your partner is a major decision. Make sure you will be working with a company that complements your business well and provides services and solutions that your business requires.

Read More

Posted by Editor | 0 Comments

Investing for Beginners: How to Properly Deal with Investments

We save money for the future. Some people invest and take the risks while there are others that simply keep the money just to be safe.  Of course it is ideal to choose something that can increase the value of our money overtime-investing. While it is risky, investing is a lucrative endeavour. Today, success in investing is not purely luck but a well thought forecasting. Yes there’s no way to predict the market but careful study and planning will do the trick.

If we are given the chance to invest, it is best to grab it because it may be our time to prosper. If we are afraid to give in, it is best to know the nature of investing first. Once we know everything, we can begin our endeavour.

Don’t be afraid

Investing is scary because one false move will cost us big but if we manage it well, profits will surely skyrocket. It is important that at the onset, we are not afraid to take risks-calculated risks.

Know the market

There are many people that we can ask for help. The world of investment is a complicated one. If we are lost, it is okay to stop for a while and ask for directions. If we have friends with investment backgrounds, we can ask them some questions. We can also take proper courses. There are various materials (books and magazines) and platforms (internet) that we can utilize if it is hard to look for someone.

Conduct research about the company you are eyeing

If we are ready to invest, we should conduct research about the company we are eyeing. There are many indicators that we can consider. For example, we should consider if the company is steadfast and if they reported increased or decreased profits over the years.

See things positively

When we invest, no matter what happens, it is good if we maintain a positive outlook.

Read More

Posted by Editor | 0 Comments

Ways to Sell Your Business

When you feel that you’re finally at the right time and with the right reasons to sell your business, ask this to yourself: How am I going to sell my business?
Here are some guidelines to help you in preparing your exit strategy.

Liquidation
You need to be able to identify which assets you are going to sell before embarking on business brokerage. Assets are both tangible and intangible. Examples of tangible assets are buildings, land, and equipment, or what we call the “fixed assets”. Other tangible assets are the “current assets” which include cash, inventory, and accounts receivable before you put your business for sale Singapore. On the other hand, intangible assets are trademark, company logo, and goodwill. You need to determine each of them because their value matter on their quality.

Family Succession
As the seller of a small business, you might want to sell your business to your close family members or relatives to ensure that it is passed on to good hands. Before you sell business, it helps to do your homework. Buy and sell business in Singapore to family members is very common. Doing so gives you the assurance that even if you sell your business, its next owner will be responsible enough to keep the business going or can develop it even better. When a family member becomes the buyer of your business through business brokerage, you can still personally help that person in some aspects of the business by giving information and advice on how to manage it properly based on your experience.

Selling to Employees
Selling your business to your current employees is also a good way to sell your business because they are the ones who are most interested in buying it. Most of them know much about your company background including its administrative and managerial functions which makes it easy to buy sell business within the company. Thus, there is a great possibility that these people will be able to carry on the tasks for your business for sale Singapore to continue to thrive after you have sold the business. An ESOP or Employee Share Ownership Plan is a stock equity plan that allows the key personnel and other employees in a company to acquire ownership.

Open Market
When you sell your business in the open market, you attract more buyers if you go through business brokerage – thus you create a competition among them, which increases your chance of getting a higher bid for your business. You can select among them the best buyer to whom you are going to sell your business with the hope of getting your business’ real worth.

Acquisition
Bigger companies are interested in buying small businesses for several reasons. Therefore, selling your business to them is one good way of having return of investment and, at the same time, being certain that your small business will have a new and even stronger management.

IPO
This can also be a viable exit strategy, although it is exclusive to large businesses only. Initial Public Offering (IPO), also called stock market launch, is the act of selling a company’s shares of stock to the public. IPO transforms a private company into a public company.

Read More

Posted by Editor | 0 Comments

Is Affordable Art Easily Available?

Singapore may be young in many things, but its arts heritage stems from ancient times. Art was already in Singapore in as early as the fifth century, and sure enough, its art is deeply rooted in ancient cultures of Southeast Asia. Singapore houses so many artists let alone galleries that endorse their artistic work. Many of these artworks are a show of some remarkable political, social or cultural potentialities of the art gallery industry. These artistic works are a contemporary fusion of cultural based painting and modern art techniques. Purchasing a desired art piece is vital to any art enthusiast and owning the desired artwork comes with some sense of pride and joy.

Is affordable art easily available in Singapore? Well, finding affordably priced art can be a disappointing task, especially when you desire so bad to own some pieces of art, but you just can’t afford them. Most art gallery in Singapore are substantially advanced, supporting so many renowned artworks of leading artists. Many of these galleries offer paintings and prints at considerably high prices. Some artworks sold in an art gallery in Singapore are of lesser known artist, but still, they are sold at substantially expensive prices. Mostly, these galleries purchase incredible artworks from some upcoming artists at considerably low prices and then they resell them at obscenely high costs.

In the past year, so many online Singapore art galleries have been established, and as far as affordability and convenience are concerned, then these are the best alternative to the expensive galleries. Affordable art is now easily available with just a few clicks. Gone are the irksome days when you had to suppress the burning need to own artwork because you couldn’t afford it. Nowadays, you can view the art collection on a renowned online gallery, and you will be utterly surprised at how cheap artwork is. In a Singapore art gallery, you work directly with the given artist, and you are able to negotiate your purchase. Often at times, the pricing of these paintings are considerably low that you start questioning their quality.

Artworks from Singapore online galleries are exceedingly high quality, and you will be mesmerized by their beauty and artistic touch. Most at times, the quality of these paintings from novice artists is not entirely reflected in the price because in a normal art gallery, some of these paintings would be worth thousands of dollars. This doesn’t reflect a compromise in their quality. The intriguing fact about an art gallery in Singapore is the extensive array of artwork they support. You can find practically any artwork you desire online, as opposed to national galleries. Isn’t it thrilling to select and purchase the desired painting without being intimidated by its price or its credibility?

Apart from being repositories for distinctive affordable art, online galleries are the perfect entry point for any upcoming artists. Therefore, if you are an art enthusiast, then the paintings that these newbie artists offer will be a pleasant surprise and a veritable purchase from an art gallery. What’s more, you can keep track of novice artists in online galleries, purchasing new pieces of art they display from time to time. Art is being democratized by these online galleries, and now more than ever, everyone can own at least one or two original artworks in their homes or offices.

Having a passion for pieces of art comes with the desirable sense to be the Singapore owner of artistic work. As much as admiring artworks in galleries brings some kind of satisfaction, nothing compares to the amazing feeling of owning original artwork from an art gallery. With the easily available affordable art online, the dream of owning incredible pieces of art can turn into a stunning reality.

Read More